TC Electronic Polytune Polyphonic Tuner Pedal

In the world of guitar gear, there are thousands of sleek, gritty, cool or knob-overloaded boxes out there.  With all the flashy pedals out there with “X-treme!!!” names, it’s easy to overlook some of their less-than-exciting counterparts – namely tuners.

Sure, they’re brilliant devices that provide important and necessary features, but let’s be real about it.  Every time I see someone walking out of a guitar shop with a $100 tuning pedal in his hand, he seems less than excited.  No new sounds or tones? No badass names?  In most cases, there aren’t even any novel tech features.  But no more!

<trumpet fanfare>

Finally something new!

<enthusiastic fingers-on-desk drumroll>

Polyphonic tuning!

You can just strum your guitar open and see which of the six strings are out of tune (no need to listen to them anymore!).  I love the concept, but I’m not totally convinced that replacing a functioning $100 chromatic tuner with a $100 polyphonic tuner is worth it, but if you don’t have a tuner yet (and you should have one) then you might as well get this new and relatively badass kind of tuner.

Well here’s a quick rundown of the World’s First* Polyphonic Tuner.

*commercially available

TC Electronics Polytune (pictured above):

Major Features:

• Polyphonic Tuning – see the tuning state of all the strings on your guitar, bass, etc at once.
• Chromatic Tuner – the tuner knows when you’re playing just one string and switches to the familiar chromatic tuner mode.
• True Bypass – not exciting, but important.
• Made out of Metal – this is super important because you step on it everyday.

Sales Pitch:

Just for fun I’m embedding this video of guy with an awesome accent demonstrating a software version of a polyphonic tuner! What an exciting day!

Batt-O-Meter

Here’s a great idea for the Sound Guy or Guitarist in your life.  The Batt-O-Meter by Keith McMillen Instruments will tell you how much life you’ve got left on a battery without having to take it out of your guitar or effects pedal.  Basically you can check a 9 volt or 1.5 volt battery by plugging this guy into a quarter-inch jack of a guitar pedal or guitar.  It can tell you how many volts the battery is putting out, and how long it will last.  Pretty neat trick.

This would be great for Sound Guy toolboxes or Guitarist gig kits.  It’ll also save you some money being more efficient with your batteries.

Star Trek Sound Effects Editor Mark Mangini goes into the details of designing sounds for Star Trek Movies.  Pretty fascinating – there’s actually quite a bit of great information on Designing Sound, which is where I came across this video.

Oh and part two:

Definitely enjoyed his description of a giant biker beating the crap out of a dumpster to create “time waves” hitting a ship.

synthPond 2.0 Tutorial from zach gage on Vimeo.

Loving it!  It’s an interesting conceptual instrument – you place nodes on a surfaces that generate notes when hit by waves (ripples in the “pond”). Some nodes just produce notes, some emanate their own waves.  Anyway, its pretty awesome, check it out.

Really awesome guitar FX chain – not the most original chain, but it’s definitely explained nicely and has some decent sound samples.  Check it out.

Found on CrunchGear.

Summary of Changes in 1.3.10:

Imports/Exports bug fixes:

• Freeze importing audio files in Pitch (EAC) view
• Corrupted WAV or AIFF imports and WMA exports
• Metadata Editor appeared before the Export window

Effects bug fixes:

• Crash/hang using Equalization; errors in Reverse and Truncate Silence
• Nyquist: Excessive memory consumption; errors in European locales; inaccurate text box values
• VST effects remained in menu when no longer available

Other bug fixes:

• Spurious “not writable/disk full” errors when saving projects
• Desynchronized playback/data loss when using multiple tracks
• Crash opening Preferences when no valid devices present
• (Windows) Audacity sometimes did not come up on top at launch
• (Linux) Crash when undoing or redoing label edits

Improvements:

• Improved copying/pasting of label-with-audio and system clipboard text
• Contrast Tool now modeless, intuitive handling of multiple project windows, various other improvements

Dev’s also mentioned that if you’re running Windows 98 or ME you’ll want to stick with v 1.3.7 as those versions of Windows aren’t supported by the Beta.

I came across a pretty decent explanation of some of the differences – benefits and disadvantages of both types of drives here at StorageSearch.com. It gets pretty in depth without getting so technical that you’re bored out of your mind.  Let me run down some basics for you to consider.

HDD’s

• Larger sizes – Getting up to Terabytes now.
• Cheaper for the Size – A cursory NewEgg.com search resulted in a $90 500GB HDD and $130 32GB SDD.
• More Prone to Failure – HDD’s have moving parts which wear out or fail.
• Slower Access – Spinning drives don’t read and write as fast.

SDD’s

• Smaller Sizes – An affordable SSD nowadays runs about 64GBs.  That’s workable for music production, although it will probably require the use of External drives for Sample Libraries and constant moving of sessions between internal and external drives.
• More Expensive – They definitely cost more for the byte, but not obscenely more and prices are definitely coming down.
• More stable and sturdy – SSD’s don’t suffer from the same Achille’s heel that HDD’s (all the moving parts).  That means that failure from wear and tear is much less likely and that dropping the drive (i.e. dropping the computer) is less likely to cause “insta-death.”

As you can see by some basic feature comparisons SSD’s seem like great optiongs for certain applications. (Honestly I might have missed something so be smart and do some of your own research if you’re really considering going Solid-State).

One area where SSD’s clearly outshine HDD’s is in netbooks – smaller comps that require less hard drive space and are meant to travel.  If you run backing tracks during live performances, or don’t require a powerhouse computer on stage, then netbooks with SSD’s might be a great choice.

My buddies in VIOLETHOUR actually use  a single HP-mini running ableton live and hooked up to 2 launchpads for live shows and it seems to work seemlessly.  The SSD in the HP-mini also grants the added piece of mind that you’re carrying a less expensive, less fragile computer on stage than the Macbook they write and record with.

All-in-all I’d say for most home music production applications HDD’s work fine and aren’t subjected to conditions that cause drive failures often.  For certain, more rigorous applications SSD’s are a great option, and if you can afford them, they run fast (if a little hot).

Obviously AES is an audio nerd’s dream come true: it’s wall-to-wall gear and like-minded individuals talking shop and other having fun. There’s parties, lectures, and even science-heavy white paper lectures (for those who are into those kinds of things). But most importantly it’s gear. Whether new or old, analog or digital, software or hardware, it’s all used for recording, mixing, mastering, post production, and more.

We literally walked by every single exhibit and gave every product some attention. However, some products blew our mind a little bit more than others, so I thought I’d go through the tech that I was most excited about.

• Cloud Ribbon Microphones:  Particularly the JRS-34. These microphones sound and look amazing because of their background and the people involved with them. Stephen Sank, who’s father replaced Harry Olsen at RCA, has been restoring and modifying classic RCA ribbons for some time now. RJ Cloud and Stephen Sank have been developing modern ribbons with vintage souls since 2006 and the mics are now becoming available to the general public. The mics sound amazing, are built inside the United States, and are considerably cheaper than buying an RCA 44/77.
• Audient Zen: It’s no secret that the way of the commercial studio is going the way of small, efficient, and hybrid. I love giant analog consoles, and while I’m sure they’re still being sold, I’m sure consoles like the Zen are being sold much faster. The Zen offers you all the flexibility you’re going to need from a small-form analog/digital console with a considerably lower price tag than it’s competitors (even if you buy it fully loaded). The console designer has been designing circuits/gear since the 60s and was on-hand to give me an in-depth tour of the board. And, as much as I love SSL, Neve, and API, I must say that this is the only desk that got me really stoked.
• Dangerous Music D-Box: Okay, confession time: I can be a bit behind in terms of higher end gear. I don’t work in a big studio. So while I was a bit familiar with Dangerous Music’s tech, I hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing and hearing the D-Box until Saturday. After being given a very detailed tour of the box, I have to say that if I was ever building a serious project studio around a Pro Tools LE system, I’d HAVE to own this thing. It’s a monitoring solution, cueing setup, talkback/headphone solution, analog summing box, and D/A convertor.
• Two Notes Torpedo VB-101: With all the buzz surrounding the Digidesign Eleven Rack, I have to believe you’re going to hear a little bit about this amazing unit once it starts coming around in the United States. The Torpedo is based on a convolution algorithm which delivers amazing sounds. It’s got 16 amp/8 studio microphone choices, USB control with the Torpedo Remote software, 24bit/192kHz analog I/Os, AES/EBU/SPIDF digital I/Os with a wordclock sync, and is fully MIDI assignable. That’s all well and good, but the two best features of this unit is the fact that you can use your own guitar/bass amps the box and you can create your own IRs (impulse responses) with the Torpedo Capture software! Have a buddy in Europe with a killer amp/mic combo that you’d like? This software and box gives you the ability to do that. A must have for any serious studio guitar player.
• Grimm Audio LS1/AD1: Confession time part two: I’m a scientist and I’ll never try to convince you that I am. So when Sanjay and I met with the Grimm guys and they went into the reason their gear is world-class, a lot of it went over my head. Which is all well and good because as much as I love great sounding stuff, I also love great looking gear which is why the Grimm stuff caught my eye (A/D convertor with wood front panel? yes please!). Knowledge of high-level audio science or not, the LS1 (they’re flagship studio monitors) were astounding. They’re sleek, built solidly, and sound like some of the best monitors I’ve ever heard. Make no mistake, though: this is high-grade, expensive, and most definitely pro gear. The price tag reflects this, but I’m 100% certain that this gear is worth every penny.
• Thermionic Culture: By now it should be no secret that I’m a huge fan of hand-made, high quality, analog gear. Thermionic Culture makes gear that falls under each of those three criteria for awesome gear. From preamps to EQs and just about anything in-between, these guys have all the bases covered for your tracking, mixing, and tone-shaping needs. The great thing about the gear is that while a bit more pricey than your run-of-the-mill dbx or M-Audio gear, it’s certainly well worth it for any studio desiring the all-valve analog sound whether it be project or commercial facility.
• Endless Audio CLASP: When I read the press release for this, I had to read it again to make sure I had read it right. A way to incorporate that somewhat forgotten tape machine into your daily digital work? Endless Analog is making that come true with CLASP (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor). The way it works is simple: once the CLASP rack-unit is installed, it runs as a plug-in inside your Pro Tools system. As you record, it hits your tape machine first and then goes right into your Pro Tools system. Your PT transport now can control your tape machine transport, you can do tape punches just as easily as you can do punches in PT, and you can even change the speeds at which your tape machine is running on the fly. It’s kind of expensive but has taken a number of years to develop. It’s limited in it’s market as it’s really only open to studios that already have tape machines or newer studios that have a tape machine in their budget, but it’s amazing nonetheless.
• Novation Launchpad: The APC40 seems to be a pretty big hit with Live users, but I think this piece of hardware might put a pretty sizable dent in the market for Akai. At first glance, you may notice what this device doesn’t have: no faders, no encoders. But what it does have is much more important. It has a) a lower price ($199 retail), b) great feeling pads, c) the ability to link up to six units together at a time and work in tandem with an APC40, allowing you to work with both at the same time, d) the high-quality you’ve come to expect with Novation controllers, and e) Automap. Don’t write this thing off. You can still control sends, levels, panning, and all the other stuff with the Launchpad, just in a slightly different fashion.
• iZotope Alloy: I’ve been a fan of RX since I was introduced to it a couple of years ago so I make sure to check out everything that comes out of iZotope’s factory. Alloy is a somewhat rare departure from their normal territory, but I’m stoked to get a hold of this. I’d write a bunch of words about the software, but perhaps you’d like to watch our video in which the head of iZotope’s beta-testing department gives us a great walkthrough of the program.

So ends my giant wall of text. While there was tons of gear at this years show, the above pieces were my absolute favorite. There wasn’t a lot of disappointments at the show, but there were a few.

• No Digidesign!
• No Akai
• No Apple
• Overall smaller show than last year which means…
• SSL and Neve booths weren’t as large as they’ve been in years past
• I’m not meant to live in NYC, as this trip has shown me
• The Javits center’s food sucks and is too expensive

Other than that, it was a blast. We’re definitely going to be at AES San Francisco next fall, hopefully with an intern or two doing most of the writing (we missed a lot of great parties to write!). Maybe we’ll get a shot at NAMM in January? We sure hope so.

Closing note: Sanjay took quite a bit of video at this years AES including demos of the Launchpad, CLASP, Alloy, and new gear from both Monster and Waves. Be sure to check out and subscribe to the YouTube channel here!

I first heard Bock mics at a TransAudio Group Roadshow in Sacramento last year a small group of engineers were introduced us to the world’s first elliptical diaphragm condenser mic.  Hearing his mic first hand on drums, acoustic guitar and some other sources was one of the most exicitng experiences of my music production career.  It’s only beat out by the first time I got to mix a song solo on an SSL 9000 J-Series Console.

Hopefully I’ll be able to snag a listen and a picture of this sure to be AWESOME mic at Aes (Booth #555).

Press Release after the Break:

Oct 7, 2009, 07:10

Las Vegas, NV –  TransAudio Group, the worldwide distributor for BOCK AUDIO, is introducing the new BOCK AUDIO AM 50 omni-tube microphone at the 127th AES Convention in New York. Focused on a
tradition that stretches back to classical orchestral recording microphones of the 1950s, the BOCK omni-directional AM 50 is similarly intended to capture the natural ambience of groups of acoustic instruments, from small ensembles to large orchestras. It is particularly well-suited for use in a
Decca Tree configuration.

The BOCK AM 50 features a half-inch diaphragm mounted in a sphere offering unique frequency-dependant directional characteristics. The capsule is mated to BOCK-designed tube electronics for wide bandwidth and dynamics. In addition, the custom BOCK inductor loaded linear power supply offers the
best combination of long-term power, low noise floor and high-end mic sonic performance.

BOCK AUDIO, established in 2007, builds the personal designs developed over the last eleven years by mic expert David Bock in Los Angeles, California.

See TransAudio Group at AES Booth #555.

Radium Internet Radio for Mac

Just something fun for Saturday.  I recently decided to jump off the bloated sinking ship that is iTunes and have since started using a set of smaller alternative apps.  They generally have the benefit of not running my cpu into the ground or enforcing artificial limits on the quality or format of audio I can use/listen to/edit/convert etc.

For my interenet radio fun, I’ve settled on Radium because it has

- tons of channels

- a slick interface that sits on your main toolbar

- customizable key commands (HUGE plus for me) because I like to switch songs and up/down volume without switching to another application

- “unlimited” demo. They do a pop-up window every 42 minutes asking you to buy.  Just quit out and restart the app (or pay the tiny $14 because they could probably use it)

Anyway, remember to stop working on music and dissecting it all the time and just have a little fun looking for something new to listen to.